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The United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification (UNCCD) defines desertification as 'land degradation
in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas' brought about by factors
such as climatic variations and human activities (UNCCD, 1994). The
desertification indicator is a state indicator which shows the
extent of affected dryland areas in Mpumalanga, as defined by
the UNCCD, over the total area
of the province. The natural areas of
Mpumalanga can be classified in terms of their relative dryness or
aridity according to the UNCCD' five aridity categories,
namely:
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Hyper-Arid;
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Arid;
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Semi-Arid;
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Dry Sub-Humid;
and
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Humid.
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| Assessment of
Data |
A staggering 91% of South Africa falls
within the "Affected Drylands" category of the UNCCD (1994) and all
of Mpumalanga province is classified as semi-arid or dry
sub-humid (Hoffman et. al., 1999; Hoffman
& Ashwell, 2001), with the exception of a few small patches
in the east of the province which fall into the humid category.
"Affected Drylands" are areas that can be farmed but are most
at risk of desertification. While
most of Mpumalanga province falls within the grouped category of "Affected Drylands", this indicator
reflects merely the potential for desertification and is not a
valid indicator to ascertain the actual extent of desertification in the
province.
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